Short Snippets of the day

This short snippet talks about Angelika’s final confrontation with her grandfather. The scene happens before the main arc of the novel begins.

When the Magic Comes

My gaze narrowed as I tried to focus my sore eyes in the dim light. I stared forward, but no matter what I tried, I could not see across the room; not that there was much to see. I had a rickety bed, a blanket, and a ripped mattress. That’s all grandad allowed me. There wasn’t even a window in the room.

I sat on the cot trying to cover myself with the thread bare cover. I heard gramps returning from the village late last night. I don’t know who he brought home; I imagine it was some unfortunate soul who he picked up in the bar again. That’s were he hunted most weekdays. He looked wealthy, sounded intelligent, and could be kind when he wanted to be. That’s how he trapped them.

When the inevitable screams began, I pulled the blanket over my head and imagined Toby’s little face. The thought of my brother’s smile always made me feel better. But I would no longer see him again, even if I escaped this room.

From the far end of the hall the steady clomps of granddad’s feet approached. He was happy, you could tell, he walked with a steady stride at those times. His good mood would make no difference though.

The door opened and grandad came in. He said a few strange words. From the tips of his fingers, he sent a bright beam of light around the room looking for me. When he saw me, he threw a dirty bag on the floor.

The sudden brightness made my eyes water. I closed my eyelids and held my hands up to stop the inevitable stream of tears. Another reason to hate him. He knew the light would bother me; he knew my eyes were weak.

“Angelika, dear, come out of the shadows and grab your dinner. Let me see those pretty lavender eyes. It’s time for your lesson.” Gramps took a mechanical step forward closer into the gloom. He scanned the area surrounding me searching for any use of magic.

Allegra, the local seer, had said I was going to have powerful gifts. I think that’s why he kept me after killing the others. He honestly believed that he could turn me, and shape me in his image. Maybe Allegra was right, maybe I had gifts. After all, things had started to happen. It didn’t matter though; I would not allow myself to be like him.

I didn’t move. I didn’t even look at him. My fists were so tight that my nails tore into the flesh of my palms. I wished I had magic: I wanted to blast him away. But the time had not come for me to awaken, and I honestly believed that what was happening to me may be magic, but I would have very limited powers.

“Angelika, come! We must discuss your future. Now that your parents are gone you are mine and you will learn to do my bidding.” Gramps tried to stare me down. He stood motionless, glaring at my face, waiting for me to respond. When he did not get the response he expected, he spat on the floor.

“Come! I mean you no harm, my dear. I only mean to prepare you for what is to come.”

My bare feet barely made a sound as I stumbled towards Grandad. When I was sure he could see my eyes, I stopped and stared directly at his face. “My future is not yours. I am not and never will be like you.” I held myself as tall as I could, making sure I was ready to protect my face. Tears welled in my eyes, but I would not allow him to see me cry.

His face turned red and he slowly began to pace. His fist opened and closed rhythmically.

Stars! I always ended up with broken bones when he got like this.

“You little witch! You’re just like you’re mother!” Grandad lunged towards me. “What did I do to her Angelika?” He laughed and pulled out a small knife from his coat pocket. Could it have been the one he used on mom? I refused to move. Instead, I stared at the knife’s rusty tip, looking for blood.

Grandad motioned to his thug Darian. Darian grabbed a chair from the hall and pulled it towards gramps. As its legs squealed against the ancient stone, my ears felt like they were going to explode. I almost raised my hands to my ears, but I stopped myself.

Gramps straddled the chair, cracking his knuckles, daring me to respond. He stared at me through the darkness knowing that I would eventually crack.

When I could not take it any longer, I breathed in and calmed myself before speaking. “She was perfect, and you are a monster! You killed her! Why don’t you kill me too?” I thrust my body backwards until I touched the cold stone of the wall. When I felt the rock against my back, I stopped and thrust my tingling hands and arms behind me.

It was starting again. I don’t know why, it was not predictable, but it always started with tingling and then pain. Then, something strange always happened. Why was it happening now? I could not let him see me lose control.

Gramps eyes changed; they began to glow. When they changed from grey to green, he was angry. The lighter the became the angrier he was. Tonight, they were almost lime. Oh, my goddess!

Gramps eyes became even harder. He threw the knife across the room. It missed me by a hair and bounced harmlessly off a rock. He clomped over and retrieved the knife, the smell of alcohol on his breath.

Suddenly, he laughed wildly before scrunching up his nose. “You will not die; you will learn to do as I say Angelika. You will become my disciple! I’m the only one who can stop your pain now.” Grandad mockingly bowed at me.” Until tomorrow, priestess!”

Gramps picked up the chair in one hand threatening to throw it at me. Instead, he threw it against the door where it fell to the floor in pieces. “Darian, pick it up.” Grandad strode out, whistling a low haunting tune. He stopped at the door, pointed at me, and then moved out into the light.

Darian picked up the pieces of the chair and looked at me. Satisfied about something, he nodded, and slammed the door shut.

I breathed in as the darkness once more encompassed me. My arms felt like they were going to explode. I crossed them and held them against my body hoping the pressure would ease the pain.

I was not prepared for what happened. My body started glowing lavender. Then, as the pain became greater, the glow became richer until it was vibrant purple. The tips of my fingers turned neon. Then, it happened. A burst of energy, greater than I had ever felt before, zapped from my fingers, across the room, pounding the outside wall. The stone cracked, thundered and imploded. A gap in the wall, almost as large as mom’s rickety old table, opened. I did not hesitate. I ran out into the light, shielding my eyes, and sprinted to the ancient forest on the edge of the manor property.

I did not stop. Even though I had nothing, absolutely nothing, I would not become him. I had dreams of starting a new life somewhere else where I could rebuild. I am still, every day, moving forward and I will never, ever, look back, to him.

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Short Snippets - When the Magic Comes